Keiretsu Forum Is the Number 1 US Funder of Startup Companies 

CINCINNATI, OH–(Marketwired – September 07, 2016) – Keiretsu Forum announces the expansion of the Tri-State region from Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana into Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri. The region is now called Keiretsu Forum Midwest.

“The Midwest offers tremendous opportunity for entrepreneurs to expand their markets, both with channel partners and customers,” says Sotiris Pagdadis, Keiretsu Forum Midwest Chapter President. “This expansion offers startups across the region further access to a vibrant angel community and the opportunity to be part of a well-recognized, international platform for investment.”

Pagdadis says recent announcements and awards speak to the vitality of the region: the smart cities award to Columbus; new medical start-ups in Ann Arbor; Chicago’s role as a center for financial innovation; Cincinnati’s reputation as a world class destination for branding and marketing; the rebirth of Detroit as a vibrant tech center; and the growth of award-winning accelerators and innovation centers in Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville, Madison, St. Louis, Detroit, and Chicago. Pagdadis said it made sense to expand quickly across the upper Midwest to capitalize on its many benefits to entrepreneurs.

“With an affordable cost of living, great hospitals, some of the best primary and secondary schools in the country, world class universities, and research centers, the Midwest is attracting young families as a place to raise families,” says Randy Williams, Founder/CEO of Keiretsu Forum. “The Midwest is ramping up as an epicenter for innovation and investment,” he said. “We look forward to welcoming both investors and entrepreneurs from across the Midwest to our global network.”

Over the past 16 years, Keiretsu Forum members have invested over $800,000,000 in 780 companies using its chapter and funding syndication model. Founded in 2000 by Randy Williams, Keiretsu Forum today has 46 chapters in 30 cities and 2500 accredited investor members. Keiretsu Forum members provide early-stage capital in the range of $250k-$2 million to high quality, diverse investment opportunities. The chapters collaborate on Due Diligence but each member makes his/her own investment decisions.